Interlude 9
Monday, February 21, 2011.
1:14 AM EST.
Thomas Calvert found himself, once more, extremely irritated by an overly precocious child. It was becoming far too common.
At least this particular child didn't murder him in various inventive ways.
No, this child just had a habit of disappearing unexpectedly. Or simply not being where she should be. Specifically at the moments when he attempted to kidnap her.
Thomas hadn't really expected to achieve the optimal outcome on the first attempt, but he hadn't expected her house to be empty.
Especially because, in the timeline where he didn't deploy his mercenaries, he was fairly certain that Dinah Alcott was at home, asleep.
Irritating.
He may have to actually commit two timelines to this project. Luckily, since his target wasn't a murderer with a penchant for finding and appearing inside his base of operations, he could afford to invest two branching attempts without significant risk.
…
Monday, February 22, 2011.
2:33 PM EST.
Thomas never liked doing this, but fortune favored the bold. He needed more information to determine how Dinah Alcott's power worked. He was becoming more confident that she was a precognitive Thinker of some kind, given her symptoms and her ability to consistently outmaneuver his agents when he limited himself to a single timeline.
The final bell of the day at Arcadia Middle School was about to ring. He watched his target on the live security camera feed. So far, she hadn't made any moves to preemptively avoid him today.
Thomas double checked all of his contingency escape options, and dropped the timeline where he sat safely behind his desk at the PRT headquarters.
He split the timeline again, with both versions of himself in his hideout.
Dinah Alcott froze and looked directly into the security camera, her eyes boring into his through the screen.
Well… that was unsettling.
Thomas internally lamented the fact that the existence of superpowers lent weight to these children's over-dramatic tendencies. It was all absurd. The costumes, the spandex, the ridiculous names. He hated this stupid snake getup.
But, sadly… when in Rome…
In one timeline, Coil subtly replaced the standard van hired to pick up Ms. Alcott with his own mercenaries. The original was waylaid by one of his many BBPD assets.
In the other, he ordered a direct assault with several armed squads. He didn't plan to keep this eventuality unless it somehow succeeded spectacularly well, but it would give him more information to work with in the future.
Both versions of Dinah Alcott moved with precise efficiency as soon as the bell rang.
In the timeline where multiple transports of soldiers approached the school, she sprinted down the hall and made a beeline for the emergency exit that was farthest from any of his agents.
Annoying, but not unexpected. Thomas became even more sure she was either pericognitive or precognitive. Possibly both.
In the other timeline, she made her way calmly towards the school's administrative office.
Thomas was already reasonably sure he wouldn't be getting a hold of her today in either timeline, but he kept them both running for now. He could always recall the agents driving the pickup van without tipping his hand directly.
He paid more attention to the timeline where Ms. Alcott sprinted down the sidewalk away from his agents. This would be the instance that gave him the greater insight into how her power worked.
Unfortunately, he lost sight of her on the hacked security cameras and had to rely on his agent's dash cams and traffic cameras.
He caught a glimpse of her turning into an alley and rerouted his men accordingly.
She left the other end of the alley and ran through a busy intersection. Somewhere along the way, she had picked up a cracked piece of concrete.
Coil watched in mild amusement as she threw it through the windshield of a passing car at just the right moment to cause them to careen into the opposite lane and hit several other cars, effectively blocking the closest of his approaching troop transports.
Definitely some kind of precog.
Ms. Alcott continued on her mad dash. Thomas finally caught sight of her destination, and raised his eyebrows.
She was heading for Arcadia High School.
The middle and high schools for Brockton Bay's wealthier and luckier population were close together, but didn't share a campus.
Thomas tapped a finger on the desk.
Why was she going there? There were the Wards, obviously, but up until now Ms. Alcott had avoided utilizing the Protectorate or PRT to hide from him. She must know that he would be able to seize her from their custody.
One of his agents quickly accessed the Arcadia High School security cameras, and he continued watching closely.
Ms. Alcott was losing steam as she ran across the courtyard. As effective as she proved to be, she was still a child.
She ran up to one of the students currently walking alone in the open area…
Is that… Amy Dallon?
Why did Ms. Alcott go to so much trouble to reach Panacea?
Maybe she thought that Thomas wouldn't risk harming the miracle healer? That certainly had some merit, but he wasn't planning to keep this timeline anyway.
In the other timeline, he ordered his agents to return without attempting to pick up Ms. Alcott.
He returned his focus to the much more interesting timeline.
He couldn't see Ms. Alcott's face from the current security camera. He could, however, see Ms. Dallon's, and she did not look happy.
Panacea's hand snapped out like a snake, gripping Ms. Alcott's wrist. His target's body suddenly went rigid.
That was… not what he was expecting.
Ms. Dallon pulled out her phone and dialed.
Calling the rest of New Wave? Was that Ms. Alcott's plan?
His mercenaries closed in, transports pulling into the courtyard. It would be interesting to see if any of New Wave's combatants arrived in time. Glory Girl must be nearby.
Panacea saw the troops and her expression twisted further.
Suddenly, she turned towards the wall of the building next to her.
And Then…
Then both Amy Dallon and Dinah Alcott walked into the wall and disappeared.
What?
That was entirely too familiar.
"I need a door."
Why did it always come back to being stymied by Taylor Hebert?
And what connection did she have to Amy Dallon, of all people?
How did New Wave's miracle healer have the Hunter on speed dial? Maybe she healed her at some point… Owed her a favor?
Thomas sighed.
He was happy to have the new information, but that meant that he was back to trying to maneuver around Taylor Hebert and her ever-growing menagerie of stolen powers. The thought was just… exhausting.
Not to mention potentially painful.
He dropped that timeline without bothering to wait to see if she would show up and murder him in a new, interesting way.
In the remaining timeline, his men arrived back at his base unimpeded.
Thomas closed his eyes for a long moment and mentally prepared himself to tackle this newest anomaly.
Perhaps a distraction was in order. Something to keep Taylor Hebert occupied while he ran the necessary test timelines on both Dinah Alcott and Amy Dallon.
The Undersiders could actually be useful, for once. Without Ms. Lindt, there was a good chance that Tattletale would succeed in recruiting the newly triggered Blaster Thomas had already scouted for them, and he could lend them some disposable equipment. The additional new member would make them eager for action.
He had some calls to make. Thomas didn't have many moles within the ABB, but what he had would suffice.
All he had to do was ensure that the Undersiders ran into a bit more trouble than they could handle, and either Ms. Lindt or the Hunter would come running. Hopefully both.
Well, that, or the Undersiders would die. But that was a risk Thomas was willing to take.
…
Tuesday, February 22, 2011.
8:57 AM EST.
Colin clenched his fists under the conference room table and tried his best not to let the raised voices rattle him.
He was already extremely irritated, and he was well aware that it was clouding his judgement.
It was a perfectly reasonable response to being robbed, in his opinion. Despite the very lenient terms of their unofficial agreement, Hunter had waltzed right into the heart of the Protectorate headquarters and stolen his stuff.
She didn't actually steal anything valuable, just some gyroscopes, capacitors, basic tools and raw materials, but still.
It was the principle.
And, on top of that, now everyone had an opinion.
"You sucker-punched a kid at max power! We weren't even supposed to engage with her in the first place, and you could have easily smeared her from here to the Graveyard!" Velocity yelled.
Robin was frustrated by Ethan's unapologetic attitude.
"Meh, Hunter can take it. She hit me twice as hard as I hit her the first time, and she wasn't even trying. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think she might have been drunk, too," Assault grinned. "She's an indestructible, Nazi-killing chaos gremlin, and I love it."
Colin pinched the bridge of his nose.
"She was in our base! What else were we supposed to do? She could have killed those troopers," Battery said heatedly.
Battery was actually on her husband's side for once, although for different reasons.
"She didn't kill them, though," Miss Militia pointed out.
"Still better to give her someone durable to hit, just in case. If she really felt threatened, she might have pulled out the big guns," Assault said. "Besides, I totally would have gotten her if she hadn't pulled that weird thinking with portals crap. Do we know what that was, anyway?"
Colin decided that this was as good a time as any to reclaim control of the meeting.
"Assault and Battery's actions will be reviewed and discussed privately at a later time," Colin said. "For now, I'll play the security camera footage and we can work together to determine what new information is available to add to her dossier."
The assembled Protectorate and Ward members quieted, finally. It helped to ease the tension behind Colin's forehead.
"Alright," Colin started the recording. "Here, we see Hunter step out of the wall of the maintenance access hallway in wing A3, level 2. She proceeds up a level to the third floor, and begins wandering seemingly at random."
Chris raised his hand like he was in class and Colin resisted the urge to groan.
"We're brainstorming, Chris. Feel free to chime in as long as you aren't interrupting anyone else," Colin said.
"This might be stupid, but… why didn't anyone notice her sooner?" Chris asked.
It wasn't a stupid question. Colin still wasn't sure.
"It's likely that one of her Tinkertech concoctions gives her a Stranger effect," Colin agreed. "It may also explain why she's moving so much slower than necessary. It could be tied to that somehow."
Colin already had that in his notes, so he hit play again.
"We can see her activate a supernatural effect of some kind on her blade here. This specific ability has not been documented in her previous fights. It seems likely that it's a new Tinkertech aspect of the weapon itself created from the deceased Empire capes, but it could be something completely different," Colin continued.
"Because, as we all know, Tinkers are bullshit," Assault commented sagely.
Colin ignored him. It was better to just avoid indulging his antics whenever possible.
"After stealing a variety of random items, Dragon intervenes. She was probably spared from the Stranger effect since she was off sight, but again, we can't know for sure. She also has specialized equipment designed to counteract Master and Stranger influences," Colin said. "Hunter disables the first response team, and begins her engagement with Assault."
The group watched the short conflict in silence.
"Did she say anything of importance, here, Assault?" Colin asked. Any hint to how her portal technology worked would be useful.
"Depends on what you think is important, boss-man," Assault said. "She said that the Hunt is looking for 'exemplary candidates', and offered me a cool hat as a signing bonus."
That was actually very important information.
"She's forming her own gang, then?" Colin raised his eyebrows.
"Looks like it. We've got our very own Butcher and the Teeth, except it's Hunter and the Hunt. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue the same way," Assault said.
Colin focused on the important part and ignored the rest. It was standard operating procedure during any conversation with Ethan.
"Did she give any indication of their other members?" Colin asked, adding the Hunt to his notes.
"No, but it would be kind of silly if it was just her. Although, I wouldn't put it past her," Assault answered.
The downside of sending Ethan to talk to Hunter in the first place was that he had somehow become their expert on her mental state. It wasn't an ideal situation. The blind leading the blind, and all that.
Chris raised his hand. Again. Colin managed not to sigh out loud.
"Go ahead," he said.
"On console, we've had a couple reports of Hellhound traveling alone on that one huge dog of hers. I haven't heard of her doing that before. Maybe she's working with Hunter?" Chris said tentatively.
That was actually a decent possibility.
"Hellhound participated in both of Hunter's recent massacres. She may have told Assault that she wasn't working with the Undersiders, but she said she liked Hellhound. Maybe Hellhound joined up later?" Miss Militia speculated.
Colin nodded and added it to his notes.
"We'll have to monitor the Hospital and see if we can find any other leads," he said.
Colin restarted the video and let it run to the end, with Hunter escaping the PHQ through what must have been an invisible portal of some kind.
He and Dragon had studied that blasted section of wall for hours with no progress. Not even a hint of anything to indicate whether the portal was temporary or permanent. Hunter could have been standing on the other side making faces at them, for all he knew.
It was one of the many things contributing to his budding headache. That, and the lack of sleep.
"Now, for the final addition to her extensive roster of abilities," Colin said after the video ended. "Hunter can create a long range Mover effect of unknown potential. She left the PHQ from the exact spot where she entered, and it's clear from her escape route that she was trying to get back during the altercations on level 3."
"She can pop out anywhere, but can't get back as easily…" Dauntless mused. "If we observe her entering an area, we might be able to cut off her escape routes."
"We'll call the Mover effect locations portals, for ease of explanation," Colin said. "It seems likely that she can only create portals from one side, even if they are two way. We also don't know if anyone else can use them. Being able to move large groups over long distances would be quite a force multiplier for her Hunt."
All of the heroes exchanged worried looks. The idea of an enemy organization that could show up in force anywhere, anytime was… daunting, to say the least.
"Well… that's going to be a great time. So, she's made some kind of Stranger juice, which she can probably share with anyone in her gang, and she could feasibly pop up in our gift shop at any moment," Clockblocker chimed in. "Is that 'A' rating active yet? Kinda seems like we're there."
"It is currently being processed," Colin replied.
Whether it would be approved was questionable. The PRT directors seemed reluctant to officially take a stand against Hunter, for some reason.
Well, for obvious reasons. But it was still frustrating.
Colin's mind wandered elsewhere, though.
Hunter was infuriating, but… she was effective, in a way. When she wasn't robbing them.
And he had run quite a few scans on the ruined machinery in his laboratory door.
Whatever that effect was on her weapon, it had… potential.
Potential that he desperately wanted access to.
And he had a bargaining chip.
A plan began to take shape in the back of Colin's mind as he ended the meeting and handed out the week's patrol assignments.
Perhaps, if he was able to set aside his frustration and a small amount of his pride, he could finally get a leg up on the competition.
…
Tuesday, February 22, 2011.
11:24 AM EST.
Lisa took a moment to relish her overpriced coffee and the cool winter sunshine on the Boardwalk.
Coffee prices dramatically increased due to high risk of importing-
Even her power couldn't manage to ruin her good mood.
Her first meeting of the day went well. No screaming, no death threats, no creepy drama queens with magic lanterns. Spitfire had agreed to meet the rest of the team, and would likely join if they didn't immediately scare her off. She was uncertain and a bit timid, but desperate for a place to belong and feel useful, even if she would never admit it.
Which only left her second meeting of the morning.
Lisa heard the wheels moving over the planks of the Boardwalk and turned to meet her new… friend.
Hunter looked so strangely non-threatening, pushing herself in her old wheelchair. With her hair tied back in a casual ponytail, long curly bangs hanging loose on her forehead, she could have been any random high schooler who happened to be tragically missing a foot. Except for the rune carved into her forehead, of course.
Ritual brand is directly related to aspects of Hunter's power. Hunter is proud of the Mark. Views it as a symbol of her resolve and independence.
That would certainly explain why she didn't try to cover it up. And why she had it in the first place.
"Good morning, Lisa," Hunter said neutrally. It was hard to get a read on her. Sometimes, Hunter was overly glib, while other times she was deadly serious. Or anything in between.
Repeated imbibing of experimental Tinker concoctions is negatively impacting Hunter's mental stability.
Well. Wasn't that… just great.
"It is, isn't it?" Lisa said as casually as she could. "Ready to start your brand new life, Ms. Callahan?"
"I've got my white picket fence already picked out," Hunter deadpanned.
Hunter is planning to utilize new false identity to indulge her desire for romantic connection.
Lisa hated her power sometimes.
Still, she might be able to gather more information. And she just couldn't resist needling Hunter. Just a bit.
"Already got your eye on someone, then?" Lisa said with a crooked grin.
Hunter's face went blank, and the air suddenly felt cold.
Hunter is irrationally protective of romantic interest. Does not want romantic interest to become associated with Hunter identity. Romantic interest is a hero.
Hunter is willing to preemptively kill or Master anyone deemed threatening to romantic interest's safety. Is determining the moral authenticity and consequences of killing Lisa Wilbourn.
"Woah, none of that. Forget I asked," Lisa said quickly. "You can't kill me before I get to cash in my favor. That would be cheating."
Hunter narrowed her eyes at her.
"I suppose you have a point," Hunter said. "Any thoughts on when or what you want to cash that in on?"
Lisa was very tempted to send Hunter snake hunting, but she would rather keep the Get Out of Coil's Basement Free card in her back pocket, just in case.
"I'm sure something will come up. For now, though, I have your order, hot and ready," Lisa handed over the thick envelope full of forged documents.
The actual documents were just the icing on the cake, though. The real work was getting Anne Callahan loaded into all the various government computer systems and databases, but having paper copies certainly didn't hurt.
Still, it wasn't overly difficult. A few hours of tedious work and Anne Callahan was a real girl, for all intents and purposes.
Hunter took the envelope and stared at it with an unreadable expression for a long moment before tucking it into the side of her chair.
Hunter does not currently have an active civilian identity. Is conflicted about acquiring one in this manner.
"Thanks, Lisa," Hunter said. "Really. I appreciate it."
Genuinely appreciates the assistance with an issue she does not feel personally equipped to resolve.
Huh. Hunter was an actual person underneath the snark and blood. Who'da thought.
She was still freaky as shit, though.
"You're welcome," Lisa said lightly. "Business doing pleasure with you, Anne. But I'm a busy girl, got candy to steal from babies and shit. Need anything else?"
"Not currently. You know where to find me if you need me," Hunter said.
"I actually don't," Lisa reminded her. "I don't have your phone number. You sent me the photo from Rachel's."
That seemed to actually surprise Hunter.
"Oh. Right. Would you believe that I forgot?" Hunter said.
Hunter did forget.
Very helpful, power. Thanks for that.
Hunter pulled out the shittiest flip phone Lisa had ever seen.
Does not enjoy using cell phones. Trauma tied to past event. Thinks texting is stupid.
What the hell, Hunter?
Lisa sighed but didn't comment as she loaded the number for one of her currently unused independent burners into Hunter's sad excuse for a phone.
"See you around, Lisa," Hunter said as she turned to wheel herself away.
"Later, Anne."
Lisa leaned against the Boardwalk railing and finished her coffee.
Things were progressing… adequately. Her ongoing plans to embezzle money from Coil were proceeding as expected, and Hunter remained a useful battering ram that she could aim at a precise moment.
She was cautiously optimistic that Hunter would end up killing Coil without forcing her to use her favor. The snake wouldn't be able to resist antagonizing the Bay's latest player, one way or another.
Maybe, if Hunter ended up on top, she would actually stick around. Having a monstrously powerful benefactor who wasn't an absolute bastard might be fun.
Lisa's phone rang. The one reserved for communications with Coil.
Speak of the devil…
"Sup, Boss," she answered.
"Tattletale. I have a new job for the Undersiders," Coil said.
"Neat. Hit me," Lisa said. "Spitfire is almost certainly joining up, by the way."
"Yes, very impressive," Coil replied flatly. He was mocking her, the asshole. "Now, I assume you're aware of the Ruby Dreams Casino?"
…
Tuesday, February 22, 2011.
3:53 PM EST.
Danny methodically worked his way through the usual stack of tedious payroll documents.
He certainly enjoyed his job, but it wasn't exactly exciting. Plus, as the Dockworkers Union slowly limped in a generally downhill direction, more and more duties had fallen under his purview. It wasn't the end of the world, but it was mildly frustrating just the same.
Some days, it was difficult to believe that things could get better. He tried his best not to fall down that rabbit hole, though.
He couldn't tell if it was better or worse, since Taylor died and came back.
It was better in some ways. He felt… awake, now. Aware. The horror and agony of having his only remaining family torn away like that was… not something he could easily forget.
His previous relationship with Taylor was… tenuous, at best. She hadn't let him into her actual life, and he hadn't deserved it anyway. He had been a poor excuse for a father, even if he hadn't actively sabotaged her.
He would do better, now. Despite the fact that Taylor was different.
He hoped that her date had gone well.
A voice crackled over the ancient intercom system. Despite the other cutbacks, they still had a manned desk set behind bulletproof glass at the main building entrance. This was Brockton Bay, after all.
"Danny, I've got a… Colin Wallis here to see you. Says he needs to speak to you about your daughter's life insurance payout."
Danny was immediately on guard. The compact pistol in his ankle holster suddenly felt a lot heavier.
Who could possibly be here to talk about Taylor?
The only suspect he could think of was Coil, or his men, at least.
Danny drew the pistol and kept it hidden behind his desk.
"Thanks, Mark. Send him in, please," Danny said.
He did his best to remain calm, but his heart thundered in his chest.
Colin Wallis turned out to be a tall, fit man in his late twenties or early thirties. He wore a generic blue jacket and jeans with a grease stain on one side. His beard and hair were cropped close to his skull and impeccably trimmed.
Danny didn't let his guard down.
"Good morning, Mr. Wallis," Danny said carefully. "I can't say I know what this is about."
"I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Hebert," his unexpected guest said. "I'm hoping we can have a calm and reasonable discussion that benefits us both. Does that sound agreeable?"
It didn't, really, but Danny needed as much information as he could and didn't want to call Taylor unless it was an actual emergency.
"That could be arranged. Have a seat," Danny said.
The stranger sat slowly and deliberately, making no sudden moves. That was appreciated, since Danny was just a little bit on edge.
"Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Wallis?" Danny asked after a long moment of silence.
"Your daughter borrowed some of my gyroscopes without asking, yesterday," the man said. "I don't need them back, but I am hoping to have a chat with her about it."
Well, that answered the question of whether he knew about Taylor. Still, Danny needed more information.
"My daughter is dead," Danny said coldly.
"And yet, she still stole from me yesterday. Interesting conundrum," Colin replied. "However, I think that we both have better things to do than play word games. I have a proposition for both you and your daughter, if you are willing to hear it."
"And why should I?" Danny asked honestly. What did Coil want with Taylor?
"I think that your daughter would do a better job of explaining why it's worth it to hear me out," Colin said. "Feel free to call her. Let her know that I'd prefer not to fight her this time, either."
It could be a trap… but this man clearly already knew Taylor's identity. It would be better to have her here, in case things went sideways.
Danny slowly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed.
"Hey, Dad, I'm… kind of in the middle of something, is it an emergency?" Taylor answered.
"I have a Colin Wallis sitting in my office. He says that you have some of his gyroscopes, and that he doesn't want to fight you this time, either."
There was a long stretch of silence on the other end of the line.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Taylor said. Danny couldn't tell if it was a rhetorical question or not.
"Nope. Says he'd like to have a calm and reasonable discussion," Danny said, raising his eyebrows at his guest.
"He's not wearing a mask?" Taylor asked incredulously.
"No mask."
There was another pause.
"What the fuck," Taylor muttered.
Danny agreed. He had no idea what was going on, but at least Taylor seemed to. Hopefully, she would figure everything out and he could just help wherever possible.
Taylor sighed.
"Okay, I'll be there in thirty seconds."
The line went dead.
Danny and Colin stared at each other in silence as the clock on the wall ticked.
Taylor, or Hunter, in this getup, stepped out of the wall and pointed her gun at the stranger in blue.
"This might be a good time for me to point out that if I don't return to my lab alive and well within an hour, the information I know will be transmitted to Dragon. I doubt she would take kindly to my death," Colin said in a remarkably calm tone, given the situation.
"Why should I care about what you know?" Taylor demanded coldly. Her tone reminded Danny of the night she blew up their house.
"Because I think that we can help each other, believe it or not. I came here like this," he gestured at his face, "to level the playing field, and hopefully avoid being shot, if possible."
Taylor just stared at him for a long moment before finally lowering her gun.
"You have my attention, Armsmaster," she said.
Damn.
He had Armsmaster sitting in his office. That wasn't something Danny had ever considered possible.
"To preface my proposal," Colin started. "Yes, I know your identity. I discovered the crimes perpetrated against you by Sophia Hess. I know you killed her, and blew up your house to obscure the evidence."
Taylor's cold eyes bored into his guest, who was apparently Armsmaster. She didn't answer, so he continued.
"As I said, I have several backups and fail-safes in place, but at this moment I am the only one at the PRT who is aware of this information."
Danny raised his eyebrows. Taylor looked just as shocked as he was.
Was Armsmaster… blackmailing them?
"Let me be frank, Ms. Hebert, Mr. Hebert. Revealing this information to the public or my superiors benefits no one. The PRT will be forced to take action; they will attempt to arrest you, Mr. Hebert, and they will either fail outright or your daughter will break you out of confinement within the hour. It would be a useless and unnecessary waste of time and resources, not to mention damaging to all parties involved. I'm sure you would prefer to continue living your civilian life as it is, and I'd like to keep our working relationship amicable, if possible," Colin said.
Taylor's eyes narrowed.
"So why are you here, then? Why bother?" Taylor asked.
"Incidents like what happened yesterday cannot continue. Direct and unnecessary conflict with the PRT will only ensure that we eventually reach the same endpoint at an accelerated rate. I'm hoping that, in exchange for the courtesy of hiding you and your father's civilian identities, we can avoid similar events in the future," Colin said seriously. "Additionally, I am hoping to build a positive rapport with you that has the potential to be advantageous for both of us."
"That all sounds like a fancy way of saying blackmail," Taylor said.
"Call it what you want," Colin replied with surprising honesty. "What do you know about the Ambassadors, in Boston, Ms. Hebert?"
"Accord's gang. Why?" Taylor said suspiciously.
"Certain members of the Protectorate and the PRT are well aware that villain organizations don't just disappear if they are all captured or killed. New ones always appear, and sometimes the collateral damage is extensive. Look at what happened in Boston. It is not unheard of for the heroes to build a… mutually beneficial relationship, with organizations that are not directly harmful to the general population," Colin said. "Brockton Bay hasn't had that option until now. Lung cooperates with no one, Coil doesn't have the parahuman firepower, and Kaiser was… well…"
"A Nazi," Taylor said dryly."
"Yes. However, I think that the Hunt has the potential to fill that niche," Colin continued. "If you continue down the path you're already treading and take control of Brockton Bay's criminal element, we have a real shot at making the city better."
"And you expect me to believe that the PRT will go along with this?" Taylor said incredulously.
"Oh, absolutely not," Colin replied. "Director Piggot would probably court marshal me in a heartbeat if she knew I even suggested it. But…"
Armsmaster leaned forward and looked at them seriously.
"I have spent years trying to make any kind of headway against the villain gangs in this city, and we have gotten nowhere until now. I can't pass up an opportunity like this without giving it a shot. The status quo is insufficient to improve the situation, and I am not satisfied with it. I won't lie and say that my ulterior motive isn't to improve my own standing within the Protectorate over the course of our potential cooperation."
Taylor didn't answer for a while.
"Let's say I'm… intrigued. How would that work, then?" Taylor asked. "I don't break into the PHQ and rob you on a whim, and you don't try to capture me?"
"Not in so many words," Colin leaned back again. "I wouldn't be able to tell the Director or my team, obviously. But I would try to redirect actions taken against you whenever possible, and provide you with important information as long as it doesn't jeopardize the secrecy of our agreement."
"This still seems to benefit me more than it does you, and I don't believe in offers that sound too good to be true," Taylor replied warily. "What else is in this for you, that you would risk your career and freedom?"
Colin stared at her and considered for a long moment.
"I'm hoping that, if this plan pans out, you will eventually be willing to share your tech with me. Your healing solution proved to be a success, although we are still waiting to determine if there are any long term side effects," Colin said.
He leaned forward again and met Taylor's eyes with surprising intensity.
"Ms. Hebert. I want us to work together, to make this city and ourselves better. I want to take the time required to build the necessary level of mutual trust between us, and then…"
There was an almost manic look in Armsmaster's eyes.
"...I want you to make me a weapon that can slay an Endbringer."
…
A/N: I broke my usual rule about changing things retroactively. In the previous chapter, Dean no longer recognized Hunter due to his emotion sight.